Territory



(No Model.) Y

H. M. HOYT. OAR LOCK.

Patented sept.. 13,1887.

/ ffy. ,waff/MSW, QZ/f UNTTED STATES PATENT EETCE.

HENRY MARTYN HOYT, OF SEATTLE, VASHINGTON TERRITORY.

OAR-LOCK..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 369,715, dated September13, 1887.

Application tiled May 11, 1886. Serial No. QOLSGI.

T @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, HENRY MARTYN HoYT, of Seattle, in the county of King,Washington Territory,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Oar-Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in oar-locks; and the objects of myimprovements are to produce an oar-lock which, while being secured tothe boat, will hold the oar fast in place so that it cannot drop or slipfrom the lock, and is at the same time made capable of feathering7 theoar when in use in the water-that is, of turning the oarv in the lock soas to be liat or nearly dat (on the back-stroke) tothe water. Suchfeathering is accomplished automatically or without any force applied bythe oarsman to turn the oar in the oar-lock, as vmust be done in the oldstyle of oar-locks, but simply by pushing the oars back on the recoveryofthe stroke.

By the use of my invention no mechanical Skill is necessary on therowers part. An adequate amount of physical force to push and pull theoars is the only requisite. These objects and ends I attain by means ofthe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurel is a verticalor side view of my invention when at rest, showing allits parts, the oar (marked A) being herein shown in section clamped bythe'band B of the oar-lock, a balland-socket or a universal joint(marked D) being employed upon the top or end ofthe curved support S,upon' which swings the band B outward from the support S and backward toit again, as hereinafter more elaborately eX- plained. The band B isshown herein securely bound around the oar and holding it.

Fig. 2 is a vertical view showing the same parts as Fig. l when thepushing force has been applied to the oar, and the band B, carrying theoar A, has been swung out from the curved support S upon the universaljoint D.

The dotted lines o o', which appear in the figures, represent theposition which the oarblade assumes with reference to the surface of thewater rowed upon, being in Fig. l perpendicular to such surface when thestrokein the (No model.)

water begins, and in Fig. 2 being parallel thereto as the featheringbegins and the stroke ends, the oar-blade thus being swung entirelythrough a right angle.

Similar letters of reference indicate .similar parts throughout theviews.

I make use of the universal joint D to swing the oar-band B, whichallows the oanband B to move through a right angle outward from thecurved support S and back again. Y

The oar A is fastened in a ring or band, B, at the usual distance fromthe end of the oarhandle bydirect clamping of the band B around theoar-handle, as illustrated in the figures. This ring or band B is of anyconvenientsize, and is made with a suitable opening in it, through whichto admit, if desired, the small portion of the oarAhandle. It is -hungor attached in any convenient way at its top to a curved support, S, atthe end of the curve, forming therewith a universal joint, D, as in thegures. This curved support S is composed, as shown, of a lower straightpost or part and an upper bent or curved portion, all in one solidpiece, the top or end ot' its curve terminating iu the universaljoint D,as already detailed. The lower straight part of S is, for operation,made to stand upright and to act within a suitable pocket in the gunwaleof the boat and turns axially in the pocket with the backward andforward play of the oars, as in an ordinary oar-lock for loose oars.

All the parts of my invention are made of cast-iron, preferably. Theycan'be made of any other suitable material.

The hinge or joint at the top of the bend or curve of the support S isintentionally put a little in front of the center line of the support,so that the mere weight of the oar in the band B will partly accomplishthe featheriug before the pushing force is exerted, and therefore makeless pushing force necessary to turn the oar in rowing througlrtheproper angle.

The oarsman in position in the boat looks toward the convex side ofthecurved support S. The band B is so made and hung that it rests firmlyagainst the curve of the support S on its concave side, andthus affordssuitable :resistance whilethe oar is being drawn through the water onthe propelling half of the stroke. Upon reaching the end of the stroke,when it ICO not claim Hills7 constructions.

or blade of the oar from the water for the backstroke or recover, hemerely pushes against vthe oar-handle, when the universal joint D allowsthe oar to turn automatically through such an angle that the oar-bladecomes out of the water Without any twisting force on the part of theoarsman, and accomplishes the back-stroke in the desired position-thatis, the oar-blade is carried along iiat or parallel to or nearly flat orparallel to the surface of the water. When the end of the backstroke isreached and it is desired to place the oar in the water for anotherstroke, by simply relieving the pushing force and applying the pullingforce the oar automatically falls back into position, the blade thenfixing itself vertically-a'. e., its edge falling perpendicularly intothe water-thc blade being then in a position opposite to that in whichit was carried along the surface of the water in the featheringoperation.

The upper curve of the support S may, for

the sake of convenience, be bent outward froml the true perpendicular ofits upright portion toward the Water, so as to give the oar any suitableangle with the surface of the water as it hangs within the embraceof theband B. Thus can such angle be regulated.

It is apparent that by the employment of my invention is produced a self-feathering and easily-managed oar-lock, by which much labor is savedto the oarsman, and speed in rowing is consequently thereby enhanced. Myoarlock regulates the angle of the oar-blade with the surface of thewater, and removes the liability ofthe oar to drop out of the lockintothe water, which is one of the faults of the loose oars now generally inuse.

My invention can be adapted easily as well to Outrigger attachments onboats as to the gunwales of boats, and it is my design so to make use ofit, and so to claim it herein.

I am aware that Hills, in Patent No. 19,851, (oar-locks,) August 6,1858, obtained a patent for a suspended oar operating in halfrings, withset or adjusting-screws; but l do My invention is a decided improvementupon Hills patent in this more particularly-to wit, my substitution of auniversal joint upon a curved support, S, in front of the center line ofthe supports upright portion, acting in conjunction with the band B,tightly clamping the oar, does away with the half-rings and rings, andset-screws and adjustingscrews, and other special contrivances whichsaid Hills is obliged to employ to make his machine at all operative,while the universal joint in my combination is both novel and useful.Moreover, the placing of my joint a suitable distance in front of thecenter line of the standard of my support, thereby causing the oar tobegin the operation of feathering by gravity before any forward force isapplied thereto by the oarsman, makes a practical machine, capable ofself-feathering the oar under all circumstances, (which Hills7 machineis not,) and thereby greatly relieves the oarsman. My bending the curvedpart of the support out over the water gives my machine the power ofregulating the angle which the oar makes with the water-a novel,important, and valuable feature.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The curved support S, its curved portion bent outwardly, universaljoint D upon the supportin front of the center line of its standarch-andthe band B, tightly clamping the oar to form a self-feathering oar-lock,substantially as herein set forth and detailed.

2. In oar-locks, the curved support S and band D, clamping the oar,united so as to form upon the top ofthe curved support S in front of thecenter line of its standard a universal joint, D, operating through thesupport and band upon the moving oar, substantially as shown.

1n testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand,this 19th day of March, 1886, in the presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY M ARTYN HOYT.

Witnesses:

U. R. Nrnsz, ROBERT ALLAN.

